2020 Féile competitions and Celtic Challenge cancelled

Turloughmore players celebrate after retaining their Féile na nGael Division 1 title with a 3-6 to 1-1 victory over Na Piarsaigh from host county Cork.

The GAA have confirmed today that a number of coaching and games initiatives will not go ahead in 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Included in these are Féile na Gael 2020 in hurling and camogie which was to be hosted in Dublin, Kildare and Meath on the 5th, 6th and 7th June. Also gone from the schedule is the Féile na nÓg National football tournaments where were to be held across Donegal, Derry, and Tyrone on the weekend of 26th - 28th June.

The Celtic Challenge hurling development competition which involves all 32 counties at U17 level has also been removed from the 2020 schedule, along with all activity involving Academy Squads.

The news was relayed in a letter to all clubs and GAA units from GAA Director General Tom Ryan today.

The letter reads:

As part of our collective efforts in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak, it is our intention to communicate with our units on a regular basis and keep you informed of developments as they happen.

The GAA can today confirm that a number of coaching and games initiatives will not proceed in light of the prevailing circumstances.

These include the 2020 Féile competitions, the Celtic Challenge and activity involving Academy Squads.

It has also been confirmed that the Connacht Senior Football Championship meeting between New York and Galway, scheduled to take place in Gaelic Park, New York on May 3rd, has been postponed

The future for this fixture will be considered at a later date and in the context of the anticipated overall re-drawing of the national fixtures calendar for 2020 as necessitated by the ongoing disruption to the GAA games programme.

We will add to this list as further cancellations arise.

The Association would like to reassure our members that when games activity re-commences we will provide an adequate games schedule for our players at all ages and grades.

In the meantime, we are working on a unified approach for all of our units on the issue of Games Development and Administration personnel and will be liaising with our Provincial Councils and County Committees in the coming days.

Thank you for your combined efforts to date.

These efforts have the potential to make a massive difference and it is in this vein that we ask you to continue to mobilise the GAA network and our wider membership in the interests of public health and the greater good.

Please continue to exercise caution relating to social distancing and coughing and sneezing etiquette and continue to refer to HSE.ie for more detailed advice.